Sunkist, You Demon

There is an almost full bottle of Sunkist just sitting in the door of our refrigerator staring a whole through me every time I open the door. It is on that shelf that just last week I forgot even existed, the one on the very bottom that I usually only use when I've run out of room every where else in the fridge. It is on the shelf that suddenly has become the most important shelf in our refrigerator. Oh, the temptation! Today is my 6th day with no soda and other than that terrible bottle of Sunkist and every single time I get in the car, I haven't been craving it all that much. Blugh.

It may be time to dump the bottle of Sunkist.

One thing I have learned since beginning this transformation process a few days ago is that talking about transforming is exhausting. I just do not know how I will be able to manage when I actually start this life overhaul. One day at a time I suppose.

We already fell off the menu plan bandwagon, but I am not completely giving up, just being flexible. We had a very, read extremely, busy few days with the 4th Annual BTSOP Alumni Lectureship that wrapped up yesterday afternoon, so I just wasn't able to find time to make what I had planned for yesterday and today. That is okay though, cause if there is one thing that every parent knows, it is how to be flexible.

I briefly stepped on the scales this morning and I haven't gained any, so that is a good thing. I need to figure out how often we will update on our weight loss goals and start doing that. Even if we are having a bad week it will probably help to write it down so that we will be holding each other accountable. We will do this! We may kill each other in the process, but we will definitely get healthy!

May I just say how much it means to me to have so many tell me that they are not only reading my silly writings, but also enjoy them! I really do appreciate it. It makes my day every time someone says something encouraging to me, you are all so very sweet! I am sure that I do not express my appreciation in person as well as I could, I communicate much better in printed form than verbal form. I also really enjoy the tips and ideas I have been given. During the lectureship I got to talk for a very quick minute about menu planning with an elder from a congregation nearby (thank you for supporting the lectures!!!), he said he is the chief cook and bottle washer in their home. That warms my heart.

So I know I am a little bit all over the place today. I guess that is a glimpse inside the workings of my warped mind.

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday and that you will be sure to take time today to worship our Lord and Creator as He desires!

Off I go to rid this house of that terrible demon. I almost promise I won't drink it.

~Lisa

Menu Planning: What did I Get Myself Into?

Don't I already have enough on my plate? Figuratively speaking, of course. Well...

Please take a moment and join me in my food world, pre August 1st.

Breakfast: .....what's that?
Lunch: a frozen pizza
Dinner: Cheez-its
Random snacks: chocolate
Drinks: got sugar?

That pretty much sums it all up. See why I need to make a change? So I decided to immerse myself into menu planning almost a month ago. This is what I learned.

- It takes a lot of time. I am guessing the first month is probably the hardest and most time consuming.
- It takes planning. Duh. Right? It takes a lot more planning than I initially thought.
- It takes looking at a calendar. Especially when your family does a whole lot of traveling! What days will we actually be home this month?
- It takes a budget. This I have not decided on yet, should I buy everything I can at the beginning of the month or just grocery shop week to week. I am sure in time I will figure out what works best for our family.

For now I am just going to start with planning dinners, lunch and breakfast will have to come later on as I get a better hold on this. Here is the menu I came up with for August. Lots of repetition for now, but most of these are quite simple and that makes me happy.

How do you like that calendar? I found it here on No Ordinary Moments and here on Homeschool Creations. I have also bookmarked Homeschool Creations as it looks like a website that I will be visiting a lot in the future.

Now that I have a menu penned down it is time to start writing up that shopping list. That'll take another month.

Speaking of, where is your favorite place to shop for groceries? And by favorite I mean quality groceries that are fairly inexpensive.

~Lisa

Summer: Too Busy

Our summer has been busy busy, so far. Thankfully, it looks like the busiest part of it is behind us just in time for our life overhaul. When I thought we would make major changes in our home beginning August 1st I actually thought that meant I would have time to research, plan, and make smaller changes prior to August 1st. Instead we are 1 day away and the only thing I think we have done is... Okay, I can't think of anything.

Wait, I cleaned out his closet. That's something, right?

So here we are, 1 day away from starting homeschooling and we are not ready. Which is absolutely not a big deal, the girl is only 3 and at this age we do not need much. But I did want to be ready. What I have figured out is a make-shift plan and that I really could just have her watch Leap Frog videos on Netflix and call it a day. I am teasing. Sort of.

I have been working off and on, well thinking about working on a menu plan for weeks now. Yesterday I finally sat down and noted some easy-ish dinners and I am hoping that today I will be able to plan out the month and then plan a grocery shopping trip. Those are always fun. Side note: We bought a Boba carrier a little while back, and that thing is awesome! I get the most use out of it when grocery shopping. That way I can carry little one and the big 3 year old can sit in the shopping cart and I actually have a place to put groceries. I love it! End of side note.

The budget stuff that I planned to have ready will just have to wait until I am done with the menu planning. We do okay with a mental budget, but I really need it down in written form.

This past month has been trip after trip after trip for our family. The husband was gone a lot taking various out of town trips for work, Bible camp, and a dear friend's wedding. Then right after he was finished with his big trips, the girls and I left for a week visiting family with my parents. We saw family in Tennessee and Ohio. I got to meet my dad's biological mother for the very first time, which was pretty neat. Then we had an 18 hour drive home in one day. Can I just say how lucky I am to have 2 little girls that travel really well? Imagine 18 hours sitting in a car, now imagine being 6 months old and 3 years old and sitting in a car for 18 hours. They were rock stars! There was a little whimpering about 14 hours into it, but for the most part they were great. Come to think of it, the whimpering was probably from me.

So with 1 day left before I start forcing myself to make big changes, today I will just do little things and enjoy time with my girls. Starting with going back to bed. ;)

Hope you will enjoy your day too.

~Lisa

New Beginnings

Come August 1st we will be attempting to make drastic changes around here. So much so that I have the feeling of a new beginning in the air for our family. As I have written about before, I am a mess. I honestly believe the only reason I can keep our children alive is because they cry when hungry. I have absolutely no idea how Fishy Baby the Red manages to stay alive, probably just pure stubbornness. And please, please don't ever buy me a plant, unless you enjoy the thought of a poor plant dying of starvation.

So August 1st will mean eating healthier, menu planning, budget keeping, ummm budget making, better housekeeping, and the official start of homeschooling (agh!). Feel free to join me in my journey of going from chaotic chaos to harmonious harmony. See what I did there? heehee Oh I should probably throw in there a more active lifestyle, you think?

Why August 1st? You ask. Because this month is just beyond crazy busy and I needed a deadline for my procrastination. Mainly the procrastination thing.

In the meantime I intend to start on the smaller aspects of the big picture and, if I think about it, I will attempt to entertain you with all the flops that are certain to happen. Maybe even the occasional success story.

Tomorrow I think I will work on a menu for August. Do you have any *easy* and healthy go-to meals you would like to share with me?

~Lisa

Getting it Together

I mentioned in my last post that I needed to get it together, and while recognizing how blessed I am is important, I also really need to fix this mess. I've let my life overwhelm  me and have become utterly disorganized. It is just plain sad how bad it has gotten.

So here I am making an attempt of putting this place we call home into some sort of operating order.

I really just have no idea where to start. Laundry? No, that is just never-ending. Pick up toys? Nah, little girlie will just get them out again. Dust and vacuum? Too much trouble for tables and floors that will just get dirty again. Guess I'll have to hang out with my girls and teach them to be lazy. Okay, seriously now, I think I need a project that will actually show results. Maybe today I will start with cleaning out all the papers we have floating around. Scanner and trash bag, here I come!

Plus the appropriate amount of hang out time cause these girls are too adorable not to hang out with.

Do you have any good organizational ideas for the completely unorganized person? Would love to hear them.

~Lisa